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Microsoft announces purchase of Minecraft creator Mojang

stalker

Member
Probably discussed already in these long threads we have had ... when I read the rumours a few days ago I immediately thought of Minecraft as a very valuable asset if Microsof plans to develop a VR platform in the near future.
 

Daffy Duck

Member
It's essentially $2.5 billion for the Minecraft IP and whatever studio assets/presence Mojang has. So not worth it. I don't know anyone who still plays Minecraft. Even my young cousins who loved it have stopped. They could have used this money to actually invest in new IP's or other more capable studios.

This is what the topic is destined to become isn't it?

Just that same line over and over and over and over and over and over again.
 

Magwik

Banned
kL0O4GH.png
Damn.
Also it will be interesting seeing where MS goes with the game.
 
I have a strong feelings that development of Minecraft will be wrapped up in a few months so development of the Xbox One exclusive Minecraft 2 can start.

I agree Minecraft 2 is likely in development / will be starting development but there's no way it will be Xbox One exclusive.
 
I bet Microsoft will impose some kind of unfavorable terms to have the game continue to be sold/supported, and it will then be up to the platform holder whether they want to put up with it just to have the game available. Then MS can say "hey, it's their choice not to have the game!"
 

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
This is a big sigh of a relief I can breath, seeing that they have no intention in the short term to restrict Minecraft strictly to Xbox systems [personally waiting for the Vita version].

Now will we finally see Minecraft on Steam?

I would have bought minecraft already if it was on steam

They'll get millions of sales going on steam alone

I agree Minecraft 2 is likely in development / will be starting development but there's no way it will be Xbox One exclusive.

Here's an idea... Minecraft 2 open beta.... only on Xbox
 

marrec

Banned
But most of the money is already made, isn't it? Well sure they own the IP but it's not like Minecraft is selling another 10 million copies anytime soon.

This isn't really going to make them that much money, this isn't going to sell consoles. The only reason I can see for this is if they want to / are making Minecraft 2, but even then that's a whole fuckload of money.

They just released it on PS4 and XBO and the Mobile App is constantly in the top 1 or 2 selling spots on both iTunes and Android. That's not going to stop anytime soon as smartphones continue to broaden their userbase with no sign of slowing down. There's also the merchandise side of Minecraft, every Walmart and Toys R Us in the nation has a shelf dedicated to selling Minecraft toys.
 
IP to artists are what babies are to parents.

Maybe Walt Disney could have sold Mickey Mouse in the early days, but look where the Disney brand is now.

If you want long term money, you hold onto every IP you can, especially when they're successful.

That would be the most logical thing to do with the property if Notch actually knew how to expand it into even more profit than he was making. It doesn't seem he had the drive though, so it was better for him to sell it to someone who would actually do something with it instead of letting it stagnate.
 

Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
This feels like the Rare purchase all over again.

This is the first thing i was thinking. Minecraft is already out on every major platform. It's not that people going to buy a Xbox One for Minecraft. They are still better of with an PC or mobile version. Even the PS4 has it...

I don't trust Microsoft with their first party. They buy them but don't use them.
 

amardilo

Member
Kind of sad MS bought Micecraft.

I would have rather they spent the reported $2.5bn on new core games but then that would appeal to me and not a wider audience so it is good news for MS overall.
 

Dicer

Banned
What about the other editions of Minecraft? Will they stop being developed?
There’s no reason for the development, sales, and support of the PC/Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, iOS, and Android versions of Minecraft to stop

Goodbye Linux version...
 

Nzyme32

Member
Boom. There you have it. Its going to be basically becoming a gaming pillar as important as Xbox.

Yeah pretty much.

Ya know, reading that sounds like he going to try and exploit my daughter and her friends.... Not sure how I feel about that statement.

Or fuck all with creativity or IP quality... it's all about profit generation.

Not saying Minecraft isn't a quality product, but that's beside the point.

Both are possibilities. At least to do that though, they will need to remain highly creative with it and the IP's quality, otherwise they destroy the core of what they have just paid for - the community attached to minecraft ie the guys that will invest in all things Minecraft and get them those profits. The same guys that prior to these rumours were extremely happy with that community.

There is also the possible angle of being a bit of a linking point to other microsoft products eg syncing via MS cloud on all platforms, attaching Minecraft with benefits to microsoft products etc etc, which is a slightly more insidious way of looking at it
 

B_Boss

Member
As long as they continue to support all platforms that's fine I guess...

I now retroactively own a Microsoft game on PS4
It is the end of times.

Hey...Sonic ended up on a Nintendo console...THAT was the end of times for me and Tekken vs SF!!?? We're in the afterlife lol.
 
Definitely. He'll really regret this day when he sees his baby being whored out by corporate entities when he could have easily made millions with hands off leadership.
But he has already made billions, and his baby has grown up into an adult product
2.5 billions for a studio that made nothing (Minecraft was made by Notch basically)... Sure, it's also for the name Minecraft and the entire community... But Microsoft at it again. Buying one thing for 2.5 billion instead of creating a dozen other things with that money.

I'm sorry, I can't get behind this. Congrats to Notch though. You swell bastard !
Have you played Minecraft the latest two years? The studio has made a lot of content and built the community to a massive level.


Probably discussed already in these long threads we have had ... when I read the rumours a few days ago I immediately thought of Minecraft as a very valuable asset if Microsof plans to develop a VR platform in the near future.

MS has a stake in Facebook so in one way they already have a VR Platform.
 

flkraven

Member
I can easily see Minecraft 2 being a timed exclusive on XB1, with eventually it releasing on PC and mobile. Anyone saying that they "can't see Minecraft 2 not releasing on PlayStation" aren't looking hard enough.

Also, I can totally see some extra Minecraft branded stuff releasing exclusively, like Minecraft Kart, etc.

Minecraft will be Microsoft's Mario.
 
I get business wise why MS bought them/it, Minecraft is a great game. I'm still a little annoyed that the game and its dlc had it's price upped in the uk on xbox one when compared to 360. :/

one example

Minecraft Halo mash up Xbox one £3.19 https://store.xbox.com/en-gb/Xbox-One/Dlc/Halo-Mash-up/1e06dafc-ea27-475e-945c-fcee0c455f87 … 360 £2.69 http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/Product/Halo-Mash-up/b79ba4fb-4c84-45de-ad1d-6bec1209e250 …

60p higher, and all dlc is higher on xbox one so it adds up the more you get.
 

The Llama

Member
Keep dreaming.

The Xbox one will benefit from this, but its inconsequential in the larger scheme of things.

Ill keep saying this. The only way this acquisition makes any sense is if minecraft is going to be grown into a gaming platform far bigger than any gaaming franchise before it.

They didnt spend 2.5 billion to sell a couple million more Xbox ones. Its way way way bigger than that.

Dreaming? It makes perfect sense from their perspective. They'll use Minecraft to be the trojan horse that TV TV TV never could be.
 
I would have bought minecraft already if it was on steam

They'll get millions of sales going on steam alone

Notch personally is the reason it wasn't on Steam. Something about being too big to need them, but a lot of people that game on PC do so through large platforms like Steam. Not to mention the possible integration of online features when going that route.
 

JP

Member
Still seems a mistake by Microsoft for me, Minecraft certainly has value but it being a long term proposition now. Mojang could have been worth something if it wasn't for thale fact that the "Mojang" that is worth any money are all leaving.

It'll be interesting to see how shareholders react to this as it's their money that Microsoft has spent on this. It's worth ignoring the share value over the next week or two as something of this size always creates a short time ripple in prices.

The only real comparison to Rare is that all important people also left there when Microsoft bought them. Not sure there are any other similarities to be honest.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
This argument is like trying to challenge someone with clinical depression and saying they can snap out of it. The only one who is going to understand his feelings and experience of the situation and whether it was the right decision for him, is him. There's no point in coming to this conclusion through conjecture. Furthermore, movement to Microsoft may even be the best thing for Minecraft and its many users. It remains unknown

Not at all, you'll notice I mentioned professionals in the line of work and not just "snap out of it bro". A fear of success like this so clearly on display is not a good thing, especially under the naive belief everything can go back to how it was and he can have "twitter opinions" again like he pines for in his letter.

None of this is going to just suddenly go away because he's grabbed the money and run. Now its a lifetime of regrets ahead underpinned by the negativity that will surround him for cutting and running after being the big success story of "early access" crowdfunding and shooting his mouth off at others.

Things will now get worse for him psychologically, not better.
 

Dega

Eeny Meenie Penis
Possibly a very smart move. Grats MS and I hope you can do great things with Minecraft in the future.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
Good purchase for Microsoft. This will be huge for them.

I personally don't enjoy the game but I hope MS don't use it to get people to buy Windows/Xbox. They need to stick to their word and keep supporting it on all platforms.
 

TomShoe

Banned
I wonder how long Minecraft will continue to be a thing.

Good purchase for Microsoft. This will be huge for them.

I personally don't enjoy the game but I hope MS don't use it to get people to buy Windows/Xbox. They need to stick to their word and keep supporting it on all platforms.

Making it exclusive to any platform would result in its slow demise.
 
So.....

Not platform exclusive

The founders of the company leave


I just don't see $2.5B here....

They get revenue from every copy sold going forward. The game hasn't stopped selling, it was #3 overall in August NPD and it's still in the top of the PAL charts. That's not even counting the PC and mobile revenue, or merchandise revenue (which could be a lot higher than any of us imagine, I don't believe that Mojang was a public company before now).
 

GAAP is a finicky beast. There are a lot of ways you can move stuff around to make something neutral.

This is more of a cash play by MS. They have around $90B in cash trapped overseas, and they can't figure out the best way to use it. They don't want to repatriate it and get pummeled with tax (like Apple) so they would like to invest it outside of the country if possible. Mojang is based out of Sweden, and this investment lets them use this cash to acquire Mojang.
 
I can easily see Minecraft 2 being a timed exclusive on XB1, with eventually it releasing on PC and mobile. Anyone saying that they "can't see Minecraft 2 not releasing on PlayStation" aren't looking hard enough.

Also, I can totally see some extra Minecraft branded stuff releasing exclusively, like Minecraft Kart, etc.

Minecraft will be Microsoft's Mario.

You are the one not looking hard enough. Microsoft doesnt want a mario, it wants something even bigger than Angry birds.

Minecraft is going to Microsofts Mickey mouse.
 
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